” Daniel Ricciardo took victory at the Belgian Grand Prix after contact between the two Mercedes forced Nico Rosberg to fight back to second and left Lewis Hamilton down and eventually out.

Rosberg threw everything into trying to pass Ricciardo in the closing stages with a late pit stop for fresh tyres, but it was not enough to stop the Red Bull driver taking his second win in as many races. Valtteri Bottas took the final spot on the podium for Williams after a late scrap with Kimi Raikkonen, who finished fourth ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

The result extends Rosberg’s lead in the championship but adds more controversy to the title battle after Hamilton failed to finish. The pair made contact on the second lap at Les Combes as Rosberg attempted to re-pass Hamilton on the outside but left the nose of his car on the inside of Hamilton as the chicane switched back.

The contact punctured Hamilton’s left rear tyre, which unravelled and damaged the floor of his car on the way back to the pits. He soldiered on for 38 laps but eventually retired when it became clear points were no longer possible. Rosberg sustained relatively minor damage to his front wing endplate, which was remedied at his first pit stop, handing the advantage to Ricciardo. ”